Welcome to Big Valley Grace Community Church. If you’re brand new, we’re really glad that you’re here. My name is Joel. I’d love to meet you — after the gathering, I’ll be standing right down here and would love to personally welcome you.

On behalf of all of us, a warm welcome to everyone who is new. We’re glad you’re here.

Today we are going to close our time in the book of Acts. We’ve been in and out of Acts for about the last year, and today we’ll be in Acts chapter 18. Before we get into that, I want to make a note about the new series we’re heading into in Hosea. One of the great things about Big Valley Grace is that we are a church of multiple generations, and it’s encouraging to see families attending together. For parents who have children attending the service with you, I want to challenge you to read Hosea chapter 1 before next week. It has biblically mature themes, and it would help you preview that ahead of time so you can decide whether you’d like your child in the worship gathering with you or in our kids ministry during this series. Parents, great job bringing your families to church. We want to come alongside you and help you be successful as we head into something new.

Today we’re going to close our time in Acts. We’ll be in Acts chapter 18, verse 1.

My wife and I had a conversation over the last couple of weeks about fears we have. We were reminded of times in our lives where we experienced fear in a significant way. We moved the conversation toward what our current, present fears are. My wife shared something really impactful — and she’s given me permission to share it with you.

My wife said: “I fear what will happen to Gia, our 8-year-old daughter with special needs. I fear — though I try not to, I still do. I fear her future, her needing us. What if we cannot take care of her? What does life look like for her as a teen and an adult? I give Gia to God over and over because I am still wrestling.”

We all have a unique experience with fear. All of our fears are specific to our own lives, and we can all relate to times when we’re afraid — what it feels like, what it does to us. As we look at this passage today, we’re going to see that God knows we’re afraid. He knows exactly what our fears are. And he comes to us in the place of fear. Even though we’re afraid, he does a work to transform our lives. I’m excited to look at this passage together.

Father, we come to you and we need to hear from you. We need your word spoken to us right where we are, with exactly what’s going on in our lives right here, right now. God, you see us. You know us. You know what’s going on. Help us to believe that and help us to receive your word specifically to us in our current circumstance. Help us to listen as you speak. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Acts chapter 18, verse 1: “After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.” If you’d like some context for what “after this” refers to, I’d encourage you to go back and watch last week’s message — Pastor Scott Stubbert taught on the previous passage and did a great job.

Paul is on a missionary journey, and in the text we’re looking at today, he’s bringing his second missionary journey to a close. He’s going from town to town. He was in Athens, and now he’s in Corinth. He finds a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome — the Caesar had expelled the entire Jewish community. Two of them, this couple, find their way to Corinth.

When Paul arrives on his missionary journey, he meets them. He went to see them because he was of the same trade — he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers. That was Paul’s livelihood. How he earned income. He comes into this new town, meets a couple who may have already established a business there, and works alongside them.

And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. Beyond earning a living, he would show up to the synagogue — this was his practice. He would enter a town, go to the synagogue, knowing that there he’d find people having discussions around the scriptures and worshiping God. I had a conversation with some friends over the last couple of weeks about where Paul would go if he showed up in our community right now. Where would he find a group of people gathered around the scriptures and worshiping the Lord? When he went from town to town, he knew he could start at the synagogue.

He tried to persuade Jews and Greeks — meaning he was trying to change their thinking. Not just conversation for its own sake. He wanted them to think correctly about the Old Testament scriptures, about the Messiah, and about how Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, fulfilled all of those scriptures. He was correcting inaccurate thinking about who Jesus Christ is.

Verse 5: “When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.” What this verse helps us understand — subtly — is that prior to Silas and Timothy arriving, Paul was working a job and sharing the gospel in his time beyond that. But when these two came, they brought a gift that supplied his needs, and he was able to fully occupy himself with the ministry of the word — bringing testimony about the Old Testament scriptures and the Messiah fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God.

Verse 6: “And when they opposed and reviled him…” Those are two very strong words. Opposed and reviled. It’s uncomfortable to be in a situation where you are opposed and reviled. We’re talking about not just another team, but another team that wants to destroy you, dismantle you, tear you apart, discredit you, humiliate you, tear down everything you’ve built.

When they opposed and reviled him, he did something kind of wild. He shook out his garments and said, “Your blood be on your own heads. I am innocent. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles.”

This is a wild demonstration. By shaking out his clothes, he’s saying: “I’ve had a responsibility. My responsibility was to take the Jewish scriptures, show you how they point to the Messiah, and explain how Jesus Christ of Nazareth fulfilled those scriptures. He is the Son of God. But you have rejected what I have shared.” And because they rejected it, he shakes out his garments — a sign — and says, “Your blood be on your own heads. I am innocent. I have done what I was called to do.”

This display reminds me of some wild things God had the prophets do in the Old Testament. One prophet ate a scroll to get the people’s attention. One was naked in town. One put up a plumb line as an illustration. God had the prophets do some wild things. And here, Paul shakes out his garments and says, “You’re not listening. I’m going to find someone who will.”

This reminds me of when Jesus was heading to the cross. There were women weeping for him, and he looked at them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me. Weep for yourselves and weep for your children.” He was saying: don’t pity me. Be very concerned for yourselves and your children, because your town has rejected me. It is a very serious thing to reject Jesus Christ.

Verse 7: “He left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue.” He’s at the synagogue. He gets rejected at the synagogue. He goes next door. Maybe someone will listen here.

One of the common experiences we all share when we start talking to people about Jesus is that we experience rejection. But a huge mistake we make when that happens — we forget to go next door. Maybe someone will listen here. He goes next door, and he finds someone who is open.

Verse 8: “Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.” Not only does he find the man next door open — the ruler of the synagogue ends up believing, with his whole household. And then many in the city hear Paul, believe, and are baptized.

Just because we experience rejection doesn’t mean it’s the end of the story. Go next door and see who’s open. If we stop at rejection, we miss those who will accept.

Now the Lord shows up in Paul’s life to encourage him. Verse 9: “And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid.’”

Something we can be confident about is that every time in the Bible God shows up and says “do not be afraid,” it’s because the person is terrified. God doesn’t waste his words. He knows Paul is afraid. And he speaks directly into his circumstance.

Psalm 94:11 says the Lord knows the thoughts of man. God knew what was in Paul’s heart and mind. He knows what’s in ours, too. He knows exactly what we’re thinking about. He knows exactly what we’re afraid of. And he shows up even in the middle of our fear.

It reminds me of a moment where I had an opportunity to serve the Lord and was afraid. In 2019, I had the opportunity, along with our church family, to launch a campus in a new town. That meant picking up the phone and calling people I didn’t know. Knocking on doors of people I didn’t know. Meeting with people I didn’t know. I can remember moments where I was afraid to pick up the phone and call, afraid to knock on that next door.

Maybe you can relate to having an opportunity to serve the Lord but experiencing fear as an obstacle preventing you from moving forward.

Paul was afraid. And sometimes our fears are directly connected to the people around us. We don’t know specifically what Paul was afraid of, but we know a little about the people surrounding him and what type of people may have caused that fear.

We’re blessed to have more than just Acts 18 — we also have the letters Paul wrote back to the people of Corinth. Those letters are 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. They give us a lot of information about what Paul’s experience was like when he was there.

Reading those letters, we can identify at least four types of people that may have caused Paul to experience fear. As we go through them, pay attention to how this might resonate in your own life.

First: people full of pride. In 1 Corinthians 4:19, Paul writes, “I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.” Part of the reason Paul was afraid may have been that he was dealing with people who were full of pride.

Second: people pursuing evil activity. In 1 Corinthians 5:1, he writes, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not even tolerated among pagans. For a man has his father’s wife.” Part of the reason Paul was afraid may have been that he was dealing with people actively pursuing evil.

Third: people worshiping false gods. In 1 Corinthians 10:14, he writes, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” He goes on to describe how many so-called gods and so-called lords filled the environment. Flee from idols as fast as you can. It may be that part of his fear came from dealing with rampant idolatry.

Fourth: people inflicting pain on the innocent. In 2 Corinthians 1:5, Paul writes, “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” It may be that part of Paul’s fear came from dealing with people causing harm to others.

People full of pride. People pursuing evil activity. People worshiping false gods. People inflicting pain on the innocent.

What does that stir up in your own life? What type of people have been a source of fear for you? When you’re afraid, how do you respond? Do you fight? Do you run? Do you freeze? Do you act like a possum, lay down in the middle of the road, and pretend you’re dead?

Paul was afraid. God knew he was afraid. And God showed up in Paul’s life.

The Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent.” We can find ourselves in situations where we have work to do for the Lord and we need God to encourage us. Don’t be afraid, but go on.

I can remember a moment where I was full of fear. It was March of 2020. There was a lot happening at the same time — the threat of imminent illness and death with something called COVID-19. Never heard of it before. The government shut everything down — didn’t know they were able to do that. You couldn’t even get toilet paper. Shelves were empty. People were losing jobs. People were in financial crisis. I can remember being at my house, getting down on my hands and knees, and crying out: God, I don’t have a clue what any of this is, but I know I need your help, because I don’t know what to do.

Maybe you can relate to reaching a place of such desperation that you just need God to show up in your life right now.

So how can we go on serving God even when we are afraid? The text gives us three answers.

Number one: we can go on serving God with his presence. “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you.”

This phrase — “I am with you” — echoes all the way through scripture. God told Isaac “I am with you” — when Isaac was out in the middle of nowhere, digging wells that kept getting taken from him, filled with rocks, stolen again and again. God showed up. God told Jacob “I am with you” — when Jacob was sleeping in the wilderness with a rock for a pillow, having a dream of a ladder to heaven, God told him his family would be like dust covering the earth. God told Isaiah “I am with you” — when the threat of war surrounded his nation and he had a responsibility to speak to the leaders, God said the army threatening war would be blown away like wind.

God told Jeremiah “I am with you” — when Jeremiah felt too young, too small, and said, “I can’t serve God, I’m only a youth.” God said, “Don’t say you’re only a youth — I choose you.” God told Haggai “I am with you” — when the temple was in ruins and no one even cared. God said, “We’re going to rebuild.” Jesus told the eleven disciples “I am with you” before he went to the Father, assuring them it would be okay. And after the resurrection, Jesus showed up to all the disciples and said “I am with you” — a group of people who only knew Galilee — and sent them out to the whole world. And they went. All the way to right here, right now.

If you are a follower of Jesus, he is still telling you: I am with you.

How can we go on serving God even when we’re afraid? We can go on with his presence.

Number two: we can go on serving God with his plan.

“Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

What was God saying? You can’t stop talking about me. Every time you talk about me, someone is going to come to Jesus. You can’t be silent. You have to speak up because when you keep talking to people about Jesus, they’re going to come to know Jesus. I have many in this city who are my people — and I need you to not stop talking.

One of the oldest strategies of the enemy is to make you think you’re the only one. That you’re isolated. That no one knows what’s going on in your life. No one can relate. You’re alone. That is such an old strategy. And God speaks directly to it: “I have many.” You are not alone. Don’t shut up. Keep talking. When you talk, people are going to find out about Jesus.

We may not know all the people God wants to reach. We’re just a small speck in the big story of what he is doing. But we’re still a speck in the story. It’s a privilege to be part of something bigger than our own lives.

This is how I see each day. I wake up and think: yes, I made it. Okay, God — what are we doing? Who am I going to talk to? Who am I going to meet? What’s the adventure today? There is not a single wasted day. Every day is an opportunity to go on an adventure with God. We can go on serving God with his plan and discover what he has in store for us today.

Number three: we can go on serving God with his power.

“And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” He was so encouraged by God showing up in his life that he stayed there for a year and a half and taught the word of God. Paul didn’t have to create his own content. God provided all the content — which is the word of God. And there is power in the word of God.

When Paul wrote back to the people of Corinth, this is what he said about it, in 1 Corinthians 2:1: “And when I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

What we need in our faith is to experience the power of God. My words do not have power. If I don’t have God’s word, I have nothing to share with you except some really bad dad jokes — and the problem with my humor is I’m not funny. But if we have God’s word and the Holy Spirit of God, we have everything we need and we can keep going.

So: how can we go on serving God even when we’re afraid? We can go on with his presence. We can go on with his plan. And we can go on with his power.

I don’t know what you are facing right now that has you afraid. But I know this: whatever it is, it is very real for you. It is real from your perspective. And maybe you’re trying to serve the Lord, trying to follow God, and you’re struggling with fear. Maybe you need God to show up in your life today. Maybe you need to hear the exact same phrase he gave Paul: do not be afraid, but go on.

If Paul was able to say, “When I was with you, I knew nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified,” then what that tells us is this: no matter what we face, Jesus Christ is enough. The cross of Jesus Christ is sufficient for anything we’re afraid of. The power of God is enough.

Do not be afraid, but go on serving God.

We also have the opportunity as a community to encourage one another. When someone begins to fumble, we can lift them up. When someone begins to struggle, we can build them up. You don’t have to live this life alone. You don’t have to be in isolation. You can be part of the family of God, part of the encouragement in one another’s lives — saying these words to each other: do not be afraid. But go on.

Father, thank you for your word. We trust that your word is powerfully working right now. I pray for hearts and minds that your word is penetrating deeply. Would there be incredible transformation because of your power and no other power? God, we acknowledge that you know us. You know exactly what’s going on in our lives. Show up in our lives. You have a message for us: do not be afraid, but go on. Help us to serve you. Help us to obey you. Help us to listen as you speak. In Jesus’ name. And all God’s people said, amen. If you need prayer, our team will be ready. If you’re new, I’d love to meet you. Church family, we love you and we’ll see you again real soon.